Chapter 103
I set up a daily routine: making my rounds and checking on my companions.
I'm definitely not just wandering around playing!
After waking up in the morning, I greet the one-eyed ones.
Since I'm the only one who eats breakfast, I have leftovers from dinner and bread.
That is, if there are any leftovers from dinner.
My daily life has changed a little.
As the children born here have grown, they've moved their living quarters to the huts in the plaza.
Living in the house are Core, Chai, and Ai, two of each, along with Big Boss-san and the young spiders.
The two change every day, so I suppose they take turns.
Shuri's life in the hole remains unchanged.
Strangely, the squirrels are scattered in various places.
Fluffy is at the lake, and the flying lizards are in the hole.
Karen is on the perch in the fields.
Since the one-eyed ones keep track of everything, I check to make sure there are no problems.
No problems today, either.
I check the condition of the snow at Marshmallow's place.
Sometimes I have a little snowball fight, and when Core joins in... I run away.
Marshmallow and Core enthusiastically dive into the snow and play.
They must be playing... Sometimes Big Boss-san joins in, too.
I make a quick getaway.
I don't join in, so don't try to force the snow amoebas to join in either!
If there are no problems with the snow, I check the river next.
I walk along the riverbank, checking for any problems.
Since this is technically work, I wish they wouldn't suddenly shoot water bullets at me.
The water amoebas have multiplied... There are about twenty now.
I think it's unfair to fire water bullets all at once.
They once fired water bullets toward the fields and got scolded by the farming team.
They didn't say anything, but they were angry.
The water amoebas lined up neatly and bowed their heads.
For some reason, I got scolded, too.
I think I'm the victim here... but I couldn't get that across.
The water amoebas stopped firing water bullets toward the fields.
What about me...?
The farming team has more influence than I do.
It's frustrating... but I won't let it bother me!
Since I was soaked through, I went home to change.
I changed into the clothes already laid out and headed to the tree monster.
I won't worry about the clothes being laid out for me. I won't worry about it.
When I went to see the tree monster, the stick insects gave me a grand welcome.
The day after the tree monster came to the house, I didn't go to see it, so a stick insect came to call me around noon.
The atmosphere then was... utterly weighed down by despair.
When I went to see the tree monster, the despair vanished, so I added the visit to my daily routine.
But I wish the stick insects would stop throwing their arms up in welcome every time I visit.
...Could that be some kind of signal for the stick insects?
I still can't communicate with the stick insects.
I can't decipher the stick insects' gestures.
No matter how hard I try, I can't figure them out.
I won't give up, but I'm starting to lose heart.
I check on the farming team and the fields.
I leave the fields alone.
I check on the little ants, little spiders, young spiders, and young ants.
It seems amoebas have become a constant presence in the fields.
I can see that their numbers are increasing day by day, too.
Apparently, the field amoebas are good at helping out.
The farming team relies on them more than it relies on me.
Damn it, what's the difference?!
I also check on the Fruit Forest.
...There are field amoebas here, too.
Could I help out just a little?
I was simply met with a shake of the head.
I continue my rounds.
I'll work hard on the harvest.
I make my rounds inside the house.
The giant insect seems to be doing well, too.
It stays in one room all the time, so I'm worried it might be stressed.
I check on the three-eyed one. No problems.
I suppose it's all right.
I skip the room next door.
A room for storing clothes appeared before I knew it.
I'm curious about how big the room is.
But I'll leave it alone.
I absolutely will not look at the skirts visible in the back of the room!
I don't know anything about the number of skirts increasing!
When a skirt appeared among the clothes I was changing into one morning... absolutely not.
Maybe my feelings got through, because no more appeared after that.
Thank goodness.
I check the storage room and the processing room.
The morning ends with just my rounds... It's spacious.
I take it easy at lunchtime.
There's nothing in particular to do...
Maybe I'll go look for tea.